Not your Average Joe

Average life expectancy for a male in America is 78 years. If I’m an average American male, that means I’ve got less than 8 years left. I have no reason to think I’m anything but average.

To quote Margaret Mead, “I’m unique, just like everyone else.” We just cannot escape that basic fact. We can’t avoid that at some point, we are reduced to a statistic.

Average. What is average? I don’t think I’m average at all but I also know that I’m not promised even tomorrow. My little bike wreck and collapsed lung thing could have not turned out so well but my own mortality is just not something that I think about.

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there are a lot of things that you can do to stay healthy longer. I also know that you can’t ignore your genetics.

Blame for my hypertension has to be placed on my gene pool. Both my parents had high blood pressure. I only knew one of my grandparents but I suspect it was shared along the way.

Goodness knows I’ve tried everything that I know to do. I’ve always eaten well, exercised regularly, kept my weight under control, and followed medical advice anytime it was provided.

Yet, here I am, taking multiple blood pressure medications every day and getting a colonoscopy every time Dr. Kline tells me I need to. And will for the rest of my life. If I knew more to do, I would do it. My cardiologist considers me an enigma—otherwise healthy but still nagged by that one silent culprit.

I have a deep fear of heart problems. My dad had his first heart attack at 45. Even with cardiology science as primitive as it was in his era, he lived to be 84. That was rare then. You can imagine my concern as I passed 45.

So, before you begin to think I’m all self-righteous about the pursuit of health and all this, my approach and my lifestyle choices are all because I’m scared to death about heart attacks and heart disease and all that.

I may be more dedicated than the Average Joe, but when I get up in the morning, it’s easy to make the decision to do the right things that day because of that fear. I don’t want to be the next statistic and I sure don’t want one of those incisions down the middle of my sternum. I want to live long and stay healthy for as long as I can.

What’s a person to do? Well, I guess you could just accept your health as your fate. You could just go on doing whatever you want to do and eating whatever you want—and avoid health care because doctors and medicines are all bad for you.

Or you can do your part. Eat healthier. Do some form of exercise every day. If you smoke, stop. Do whatever it takes. See your doctor.

So many of the bad things that plague senior adults are preventable. Get your weight under control. Go to your gastroenterologist and if they recommend a colonoscopy, get it. Go to your dermatologist and do what they say. As I’ve said many times before, everyone should have a primary care physician coordinating all of your health care and, if you run into them in the grocery store, they know your first name.

Not because you’re a nag, but because you get regular checkups and do what they say.  It’s perpetually amazing that people base medical decisions on what they learned on the internet. The practice of medicine is much more complicated than that.

My personal bottom line is that I want to live as long as I can and be as healthy as I can be for as long as I can. Not to accumulate “things,” but to live life, to take adventures, to enjoy family and friends. For. As. Long. As. I. Can.

Dieting is Hard

 

New data is out. Tennessee is now only the 10^th most obese state in America. West Virginia is #1, with 51.05% of the state’s citizens being classified as obese.  Unfortunately, Tennessee isn’t far behind at 47.50%

Behind West Virginia, in order, you will find Mississippi in second followed by Alabama, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, then South Dakota. Followed by #10 Tennessee. We’ve been closer to the top in the past.

I’m from the South and proud of it. Yet, I have to admit that I’m disappointed with certain aspects of our part of the country. I suppose I should look at it within the context of America as a whole.  The problem isn’t confined to one part of the country. But in too many important factors, we’re way down the list. Smoking. Education.

What we can’t ignore is that obesity is the source of many of the health problems that we encounter in our senior years. Rather than beat ourselves up about it, let’s look at what can be done. It really is a complex problem.

Some will say that it is the tendency for cooks in the South to fry everything. They blame it on southerners trying to make lesser foods tastier. I’ve never seen blackened catfish but I know that I prefer my catfish fried with tarter sauce.

And it’s not necessarily a southern thing. I once dined at a relative’s table well north of the Mason-Dixon Line and literally everything served was fried. Admittedly, they had southern roots, but they had lived in the north a lot longer than they had lived in the south.

It’s hard to ignore portion sizes, all-you-can-eat buffets, and food choices, wherever you live.

No doubt, part of it is lifestyle. In my opinion (and remember that this is all my opinion), it isn’t that we’re just lazy. I don’t think that’s it at all. Most of the people that I know never stop. Long days, packed schedules, and trying to do everything is more the norm than not.

When I’m behind and don’t have time to eat good food, I’ll eat whatever I can grab. More often than not, it is something that isn’t good for me.

It’s especially bad if I push it, allowing my hunger to grow. If I miss a meal or extend my limits, I’ll end up eating anything put in front of me. And probably more than my body needs, as I attempt (physically or mentally) to catch up.

I think that’s true for a lot of folks. Scarfing down a bag of chips and a couple of hot dogs is the easy way sometimes and yes, I do that.

The solution for me is to brown bag my lunch. I eat almost the same thing every day at work. But that takes some preparation and sometimes I forget or don’t have time to prepare adequately. It only works if you work at it. It does take some effort.

Snacks are also important. And not candy bars or cookies. Foods that are more complex, lower in sugar, and have some kind of healthier ingredients. My personal favorite is nuts.

Eating late at night is also a huge problem. Sometimes I eat way too early, as the evening schedule is so full that I know I won’t get any time to eat. Then, when I finally get home, I’m starved. I have to fight the urge to eat anything and everything in the fridge.

It takes willpower to eat a reasonable amount if you’re eating closer to bedtime but it’s hugely important. I’m not much of an advocate for counting calories but at bedtime, it helps.

And just so you know that I haven’t forgotten who I am, yes, exercise is essential. You need to do something every day that gets your heart rate up.

So you want to be a leader?

 I've got a simple message today.

If you want to be a leader, you need to do the following:

Outwork everybody. Everybody.

Understand that no task is beneath you. And actually do any task that needs to be done. If you see trash in the parking lot, pick it up. If there is a mess, clean it up.

As you grow in your leadership, your relationships will change. If you aren’t ready to deal with that, you aren’t ready for leadership.

Coach Koontz

If you happen to be at the Maryville High School football game this Friday, you might drop by and congratulate Adam Koontz.  It will be his 300^th straight game.  It’s somehow fitting that it is also Homecoming.

 His attendance record is surely one for the books. Rain or shine, snow or sleet, it doesn’t matter, Adam will be there. 300 straight games. He’s seen it all. He’s seen the tough losses and the glorious wins.

He’s been there through blistering hot August games and seasons that often last into December. There isn’t likely a bigger fan of Maryville Rebels football.  There certainly isn’t one more dedicated. He. Never. Misses.

 Adam is currently 38 years old and is a graduate of both Maryville High School and Maryville College (class of 2008). He started attending MHS football games at the beginning of the 2000 season and had a 59 game streak going until 2003, when he had to miss a game because of freshman orientation at Maryville College.

 Since then, he hasn’t missed a game. Not one. Not when temperatures plummeted and the stadium was ice covered. Not even in driving rain when lots of fans stayed home. Away games? Doesn’t matter. Adam makes the trip.

 Maybe he doesn’t feel great? He shows up. Toughen up Buttercup. Adam will be there. No excuses.

 Adam works part-time at the Senior Center for the Parks & Recreation department.  He is also in his 8^th year as an Assistant Coach with the Maryville Southerners pee-wee team. He bleeds red and black.

 For most of his 300 game streak, I was on the sidelines for Maryville High School football, serving as their athletic trainer. Long ago, he and I developed a ritual that lasted until my last game in 2020.

 Before the game, I had a busy schedule. Tape ankles. Check injuries. Update the coaches on player status. Check supplies. Often greet the visiting team. Set up the sidelines. Make sure everyone knew what they were supposed to do.

 Sometime after the team took the field for warmups, I would head for the sideline, but before I got there, I would find Adam (Coach Koontz to the Southerners), who always wanted an injury update. For home games, he was always in the same place. For away games, he was easy to spot.

 After filling him in on the latest injuries, I would listen as he gave his assessment of the game and what it would take to win. We would end the conversation with a fist bump and Adam’s last minute advice for Coach Quarles or Coach Hunt.

 I always found Adam to be knowledgeable about the game and what it might take to win. His pregame summary was often spot-on.

 It was a special time for me. I miss it. Those moments will remain with me for the rest of my life. They’re just one of those little things that made Friday nights special.

If you don’t know Adam Koontz, you’ve missed out. You may not have met him, but you’ve seen him. He’s the guy in the wheelchair down on the right in front of the stands. He gets there early to take his spot. And if you want a game analysis, he’ll be glad to share.

Let's go drop some weights!

This isn't my usual blog. My usual blog is actually the weekly newspaper column that I've written for 39 years. After it is published in the newspaper, I copy and paste it here.  Someone once estimated that I have published over 2 million words. 

Oh, every once in a while I have a thought that I want to share that isn't really appropriate for the newspaper. Not that it's inappropriate material, it just doesn't seem targeted for that audience.

This is one of those. And this one will be short and sweet. It's really just a question (or an opening for dialogue).

Why do people drop weights?

I'm sitting here now in my clinic listening to three really fit females dropping weights. Every. Single. Rep.

It's been going on for about 45 minutes now. The problem is, this is what they do every single day. There is never a workout where some (or all) of it does not involve dropping weights.

You've seen it. Pick it up. Drop it. Repeat. Incessantly.

Why?

I admit some bias here, but my bias is based on muscle physiology, 55 years of strength training, and three college degrees (including a doctorate) in areas related to exercise science.

Why not set the weight down? The eccentric loading that you get from doing setting the weight down can be as important if not more so than dropping it.

Although I can tell you that always looking at your single rep max is a guarantee of an injury, I can sort of understand it if you are looking to compete and always working toward a max lift.

But for those pursuing good health and fitness, I just don't get it.

Somebody explain it to me. I've asked the question of several of the leading strength and conditioning specialists in the country and no one (absolutely no one) has been able to offer a plausible explanation.

It's not called weight dropping. It's called weight lifting!

So, there you have it. Explain it to me please. Because my blood pressure and stress levels need to understand why it is OK.

Better Preparation through Technology

I was with a group of other old fogies recently when the conversation turned to the internet. Now keep in mind that most people of my generation know only one way to fix a computer—turn it off then back on. And most of the time, we forget to do even that.

So we call on somebody younger. Somebody a whole lot younger. Want to fix your computer? Ask a 20-something. Want to know how to use your phone better? Ask a teenager.

But even us old folks know that if you want to know something, you hit that Google button (top left, on my phone) and seconds later, the answer appears.

Oh, sometimes you have to know what question to ask to get the information you need, but be assured, it’s in there. It really is amazing.

“Back in my day” is definitely a common starter to a conversation.  And once said, young minds start shutting down.  So, before I go there, let’s talk about how much information is at our fingertips these days. It’s amazing really.

Weather, ballgame scores, the latest research, the latest information. All immediately available.

With that being said, back in my day, our best information often came from the Encyclopedia Britannica. For those of you too young to know what that was, it was a set of books that came out every couple of years or so.

They were alphabetized and contained a lot of information. Pick a topic and it was likely in the Encyclopedia.  It was the source for a lot of information, and I can tell you that I studied it constantly. It’s probably why I have a head full of useless facts to this day.

A group of scholars worked constantly and the Encyclopedia was updated regularly, trying to keep up with changes in science and technology. If you wanted to know more about all the trees or snakes in America, it was in there.

That’s what books used to be for us—a source of information, not just a source of entertainment.  I don’t yearn for those days--we do have it better these days with information and technology available in an instant. There was something thrilling about opening up that massive volume and researching something new, something that you knew nothing about.

Now, you can push a button and find out what the weather is going to be the rest of the day. Our Athletic Trainers use an app that tells us how close lightning might be. That helps us be safer with our athletes.

We also have a phone app that tells us what the Heat Index might be at any moment. The Heat Index is a combination of temperature and humidity.  The higher the heat and/or humidity, the higher the Heat Index.

TSSAA has a protocol that dictates outdoor practice patterns depending on the Heat Index, helping us provide a safer environment.  For example, at a certain level on the Heat Index, breaks and other measures are mandated. At a high enough level, practices are cancelled.

All this just helps our Athletic Trainers do a better job in safeguarding the health of our athletes because, let’s face it, sports can be dangerous. Every year, some kid somewhere dies because of heat exhaustion.

Every year, somebody dies from being hit by lightning. Those old fogies might say that kids aren’t as tough as they used to be. That really isn’t the case at all. We just live in a very different world now.

When the old fogies were kids, nobody had air conditioning and learned to cope with the heat. Global warming has changed weather patterns, resulting in more frequent and more severe electrical storms.

So, we deal with it through better technology, better information, and data instantly available. I wouldn’t want to go back to those days when you looked at the sky and tried to guess what was about to happen.